Straw And Tin Book 2
by Beatlesluver
Summary: After the events of portrayed in Wicked, Boq, Fiyero and Elphabe venture into different worlds in hopes to find cures for the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. Little do they know, they will crash into characters from other popular musicals *Second Installment*
1. Chapter 1: Frederick

Instantly, the group was thrown onto the ground of a rural little town

Instantly, the group was thrown onto the ground of a rural little town. _Wow, this is nothing at all like Skid Row_, Boq thought to himself as he looked around. Though it was dark like Skid Row, it was full of shabby little houses, created from stone and straw, which made Fiyero a little uncomfortable. The inhabitants of this place dressed in clothing more similar to Ozian then the clothes worn by the inhabitants of Skid Row, but they were dirty and dusty from the environment. Boq looked around to see a huge castle in the distance, perched precariously on a cliff. Elphaba, with audacity, approached on of the villagers, who at first was frightened by her mask. "Do you know where we would find Dr. Frankenstein," she asked coolly.

The villager sneered, and said, "Hmph. It would seem that a group of freaks would come to see him. Yes, I know where he lives. He has been cooped up there, in his grandfather's castle for a while now, and if he's anything like Victor, I wouldn't want to be going up there anytime soon."

"Thank you, but I think we can handle him," said Elphaba, and began to walk away, with Boq and Fiyero right behind. It took a while, but eventually the group reached the castle doors, which had gigantic, steel knockers in the shape of gargoyle faces. As Boq took one and banged it against the door, Fiyero exclaimed, "What knockers!!"

"Zank you scarecrow," said a small, girlish voice. The group saw that a small, blonde girl had opened the door. At the sight of her, everyone thought the same thing: _She looks just like Glinda!_ It was true, they looked so similar, the could have been twins. "My name is Inga, and I am ze doctor's assistant. Vould you please follow me. Ze doctor is in ze lab, finishing up on a previous project. He has been vaiting for you though, and he iz very excited about your project!"

Inga grabbed a candelabra from the table, and just as the group was about to head down the spiral, stone staircase, she whipped around and said in a deep, morbid voice, "Stay close to ze candles. Ze stairs can be very…treacherous". The group exchanged glances before following the perky, blonde girl down the stairs. About halfway down the stairs, Boq's metallic heel slipped across one of the wet stairs, and he went tumbling down. _Good thing I can't feel,_ he thought to himself as a huge clang rang out every time he hit a step as he tumbled down the stair case. He bounced off the last step and went flying through the door, hitting, knocking down, and landing on top of something…or somebody.

As Boq slowly got up, he notice that he had fallen upon a huge green man, who, from the impact and the fall, had been knocked out. Boq quickly got off of him and the rest of the group rushed down the rest of the stairs. "Thank you my good man," said a voice to the right of Boq. He swiveled around to see a medium-sized man with mahogany colored hair and a small moustache. Beside him was another man, but he was very short, draped in a black hooded cape that covered the hump on his back. The two looked very scared and distraught, the taller one even had a black eye and blood trickling down his face. The taller man spoke again; "He (refraining to the green man) went berserk! You saved our lives, and for that, it encourages me even more to give yours back."

"Wha-what are you talking about," Boq stuttered as the rest of the group finally reached the bottom of the staircase.

"I am Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, neurologist, and my partner and I might have discovered a cure for you, and your little scarecrow friend over there," he said as he pointed to Fiyero.


	2. Chapter 2: Henry

"Like Seymour, I took the time to contact him before we departed, so he could prepare for our experiment," said Elphaba

"Like Seymour, I took the time to contact him before we departed, so he could prepare for our experiment," said Elphaba.

"Ah yes," continued Frederick. "That was an afternoon to remember. Here I am, working on my creation, and a rip appears in the middle of my lab, and a green girl pops out of it, asking for my help. I don't seem to remember the mask though. Is it new?"

She glanced down and quietly said, "There was a slight accident at our last stop".

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend. To change the subject, though I have had extreme failure in matters of my own creation," with this he glared the short, humped man, who cowered, and the doctor continued on. "I have had great success in your experiment. Now, the after you contacted me when you first reached Seymour's flower shop, you gave me a sample of Fiyero's straw, which had a weird genetic makeup; it had all of the normal particles that make up straw, but it also had all of Fiyero's regular, living cells attached to them. Now, the living cells were in a half-dormant state, and the DNA was half-dormant as well, which is why you look somewhat like human beings. If I could separate and destroy the non-living particles and restore all of the dormant parts to the living cells, then you would be normal again. I have isolated a specific isotope found in a rare mineral called perenigonia scalisus, which is known as a universal healer. It has been known to heal wounds, ailments, and even bring people out of comas. I thought to myself, why couldn't it bring dormant cells back to life? So, I applied a coat of it to the piece of straw, and miraculously, it metamorphosisized overnight into skin! I have it all prepared, for Elphie contacted me right after you joined the group, Boq. Whenever you two are ready, we're ready to give you the treatment. Igor here and Inga will help in the transformation process, and after you receive the treatment, you will pass out, and overnight, you will change into yourselves again."

Just as he said these words, a distraught looking man burst through the door. He was about the same size as the doctor, but his hair was black and slicked back into a straight ponytail. He was sweating, and his lab coat was filthy, covered in both dirt, and what seemed to be blood. "Good lord Henry," exclaimed Frederick. "What the hell happened to you?"

Henry stumbled down the stairs to the lab, as he took off and threw his lab coat to the side. "Uh…I was mugged. Oh!" He jumped at the sight of the weird looking people in the room. "Oh good lord, am I late? I'm so sorry for my tardiness. I am Doctor Henry Jekyll, Dr Frankenstein's partner. I helped in the creation of your specific elixir, and I do hope we can help. So! Are we doing the procedure tonight, or shall we wait until later?"

"No!", shouted Boq. "I-I want to be normal as fast as I can. Please, Fiyero, let's do it right now".

He paused. "Alright, let's do it right now! We're ready!"


	3. Chapter 3: Transformation

Boq and Fiyero were each placed within a chamber, completely made of steel except for the glass door, allowing both men to see out. They were strapped into the chamber with two leather straps. After Boq and Fiyero were put in there respective chamber, both doctors and the assistants stood before an enormous desk with thousands of buttons and display screens. Boq watched as Elphaba waved to them and Frederick counted down from three on his fingers. Just before Frederick reached zero, Boq glanced at Henry, and to his surprise, Henry began to twitch and twist. His slicked hair fell forward as Jekyll looked up, looking straight at Boq as he twisted a dial, bearing his teeth in an evil-looking smile.

All of a sudden, a gas was released into their chambers. It was thick, and Fiyero and Boq could no longer see out of the chamber. All of a sudden, a small pain panged within Boq's chest. It grew, consuming his whole body. "_Something is happening,"_ he muttered out loud. "_I can't explain. Something inside me, a breathtaking pain. Devours and consumes me, and drives me INSANE!! Suddenly, uncontrolled. SOMETHING IS TAKING HOLD. Suddenly, AGONY!! Filling me, killing me. Suddenly, out of breath. What is this, THIS IS DEATH!!"_

This was the first time in a great while Boq had even felt pain, but this was unbelievable! The smog began clear, and as Boq slipped into unconsciousness, he saw Elphaba standing near them, looking relieved and happy.

Frederick and Henry gently removed the two men from the machines, discovering all was well. Henry carried Boq and Frederick carried Fiyero upstairs, putting each in a guest room. Boq's room had a slightly lower ceiling, which would accompany his new height perfectly. Elphaba used a simple spell to whip up a new wardrobe for each, matching their original sizes perfectly. Elphaba poofed a shirt and shorts onto each, as the group filed downstairs, knowing the only thing they could do was wait and hope.


	4. Chapter 4: This Isn't Me

Boq opened his eyes to a bright, sunny, Transylvanian day; the perfect day to see his perfect, munchkin self. Boq sat up in his bed and immediately hit his head on the ceiling. "Ahh, #," he shouted as head throbbed. _I don't remember being that tall, I thought that this place would be the perfect size. That's weird._ Not perturbed by his confusion though, he immediately ripped off the covers in hopes to see his normal self again.

His eyes went wide as he discovered something was extremely wrong; First of all, his skin was extremely tan, and in a lot better condition then his munchkin skin should be. Second, everything looked different; his hands, feet, legs, everything looked…different. The third thing was probably the most odd; his whole body was covered in a linear pattern of blue diamonds.

"_Oh my god! It isn't true. What did somebody do? THIS ISN'T ME_." He looked down at his feet again. "_What's this foot? I know my foot, and this is not my foot. THIS ISN'T ME!_" He went to get up again and hit his head hard again on the ceiling. As he rubbed it, he looked down at the shirt he had put on, which instead of fitting him perfectly, was probably three sizes too small. "_I'm too tall to fit my bunk, and my favorite shirt has shrunk. What I'm looking at is gross! THIS ISN'T ME!_"

He stumbled clumsily over to the bathroom that was connected to his guest room. He whipped open the door and gazed into the mirror, and let out a shout when he saw what he had become: Fiyero. No matter what gesture or movement Boq made, Fiyero's face in the mirror did exactly the same. When Boq moved his eyes, Fiyero's crystal blue eyes moved with his. When Boq shook his head, Fiyero's head shook, his long gold hair flowing from side to side. Boq turned on the faucet and splashed water in his face, but when he gazed in the mirror, Fiyero still gazed back at him.

Boq rushed out the bathroom, still in his sleeping shirt and shorts, and tried putting on his clothes, but everything was too small. "_Oh my god! There's nothing here that I can wear._" As he desperately looked around, his new, blonde hair whipped him in the face. "_And where did I get all this HAIR!! I got-_", he hit his head on the ceiling again, "_BIG! Everything I see: my arm, my hand, my wrist, my knee. Look! Every part of me has got BIG!! There is something here that's wrong. It's a joke gone on too long. How'd this nightmare come to be!? THIS ISN'T ME!!_"

Boq dashed out of his room, running down the long corridor, trying find Frederick, and because he wasn't looking, ran into someone. The two collided, and fell to the floor. Boq rubbed his already sore head with his eyes closed, and said, "Oh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking. Are you alright?"

After a while, Boq heard the person say, "No, I am definitely not alright". The voice of the person sounded so familiar, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. Boq opened his eyes and let out another shout; the person he had ran into was…himself.


	5. Chapter 5: Glomp lol

For the longest time, the both of them sat, eyeing each other with amazement and jaw-dropping confusion

Chapter ?13/04/2008 21:07:00

For the longest time, the both of them sat, eyeing each other with amazement and jaw-dropping confusion. "Wh-who are you," Boq stammered.

"What are you? Stupid? I'm Fiyero, but who, or what, does that make you? Are you my clone or something weird like that?"

_Oh my god, he hasn't noticed he's in my body,_ thought Boq. _I'll have to break it to him gently, but how?_

"Fiyero," began Boq. "It's me. It's Boq. Uh…have you looked in the mirror lately?"

"Don't try to change the subject!! WHY DO YOU LOOK EXACTLY LIKE ME!! Oh my god, this morning couldn't get any weirder! First of all, my pj's are HUGE, I mean, that's just weird. Second, my tattoos are gone and I'm pale, and third I…" he trailed off as he noticed that when both of the men had stood up, he was considerably shorter. "Why am I shorter then you if you're supposed to be me?"

"Well…I don't know how this happened, but…uh…I think you should come with me." With that he lead Fiyero into Fiyero's bedroom. "Where's your bathroom," Boq questioned.

"I don't have one. Why do you think I was walking down the hall?"

Boq lead Fiyero to his room and hesitantly opened the door to the bathroom, revealing the mirror, and with it, Fiyero's new reflection. At first he just stood there in shock, but then approached the mirror. He went through the same process that Boq did, checking to make sure it wasn't some kind of horrible joke. When he discovered it was not a joke, he screamed, ran out of the bathroom, ran into his room, and slammed the door. Boq ran after him, but soon slipped on the hard wood floor and tumbled down the stairs. He bounced all the way to the bottom, where he sat up and reflected how nice it was not to have pain. As he got up, he was also reminded how differently it was to walk on skin versus with tin.

He clumsily made his way to the dining room, where Elphaba, Inga, Frederick, Igor, and Henry all sat eating breakfast. At the sight of his body, all of them smiled at their success and Elphaba immediately jumped up, embraced Boq, and began kissing him passionately. Forgetting what he looked like, she shoved her away and shouted, "WHAT THE HECK ELPHIE?! You like Fiyero remember? Since when did u have a thing for me?!".

Elphaba looked at him with extreme confusion, as well as everybody else in the room. He then remembered his current state. "Elphie, I'm not who you think I am. I'm Boq, not Fiyero. Something went horribly wrong!" With that last remark, the jaws of everyone in the room dropped.

"B-Boq," Elphaba stammered, "is that really you? Doctor, what could have went amiss!!"

Frederick stood up and examined Boq. "I have no clue what could have happened. The only viable reason for this is that both Boq and Fiyero were exposed to the wrong gas, turning them into the other."

"Can you reverse it?"

"I'm not sure. The compounds I used were specifically made to make inanimate cell animate as well as regenerate the DNA of each person. Give me some time, and I will get you your answer." With that he dashed down to the basement, with Igor, Inga, and Henry following him.

Elphaba was still staring at Boq with wild-eyed confusion. He could tell she was conflicted; she wanted to embrace the one she loved, but on the inside, it wasn't really him. "Elphie," he said as he snapped his fingers in front of her face. "I'm not Fiyero. The man you love is upstairs, in his room."

She quickly dashed up the stairs, with Boq close behind her, trying not to fall again. She approached his door and hesitated. "Go on," Boq said. She twisted the handle and the door swung wide open, revealing Fiyero sitting on his bed, facing the opposite way.

"Fiyero," she whispered. He did not move or turn around. She approached him and sat down on the bed next to him, discovering he was in tears.

"We…we were so close," he said. "We were this close to being normal again. It almost seems that god forbids our happiness."

Elphaba looked at him with confusion and said, "How can you say that? At least you're human again. You're a living breathing person, just…not the right one. We can get through this. Dr Frederick is working right now to find a reverse to this. Don't worry, we will live happily ever after, just wait and see."


	6. Chapter 6: A Walk In Another's Shoes

.The doctors, Igor and Inga had been working in the lab for hours, and every time Fiyero or Boq tried to inquire about their progress, or lack of, they would slam the door in their faces, saying that they were too busy and couldn't be interrupted. Boq was becoming restless; he had to get his mind of the study, so he decided to take a stroll around the beautiful Transylvanian town.

During his trip around the small, rural village, Boq became more and more happy with his new appearance. Unlike when he was a simple Munchkin farm boy, wherever he went now, girls giggled and blushed at the sight of him, and he couldn't blame them; Fiyero was a lot more handsome then he was. Some of the local women even came over to him, fawning over his blue diamond tattoos and impeccable skin. It was also nice that for once he was taller then everyone he encountered, rather then being shorter. Oh yes, he could absolutely get used to this.

While Boq enjoyed his new look more and more, Fiyero became more and more miserable. Still locked up in his room, Fiyero looked at himself from every possible angle, but still couldn't find anything about Boq's body that he remotely was comfortable with. He hated being short, his skin was blotchy and pale, his hair was dry and unkempt, and his once crystal blue eyes were a simple brown.

Those these things were bad, the thing that bothered him the most was his wardrobe! Elphie had said before they went into the chambers that she would use a simple spell to make a replica of their old wardrobes, and now he could see why Boq didn't have much luck finding the right girl. _Hmn_, he thought to himself as he looked over at a pile of money Frederick had given him. _Maybe I can help Boq a little…I mean, with some new clothes…and a new haircut…and maybe some tattoos, he just might be cool_! With that last thought, he grabbed the money and bolted for the door.

Boq had been out on the town for a few hours, weaving in and out of the shops. As he progressed to the southern edge of the town, however, the shops and people became more suspicious and scarier. As he walked down the street, a hooded figure suddenly approached him. The man was abnormally tall, even taller then Boq now was, and the only thing Boq could see sticking out of the cape was a pair of pale, white hands.

"So who do we have here," said a voice the escaped from the man's hood. "You seem to be foreign from these parts, my good man. If you would like, I would be happy to direct you to some of the most wonderful places we have to offer, for I am here to help: there is the most unique opera house about 2 hours out of town, there are daily boat trips on a nearby lake, and there is also a barber shop that is known for giving the closest shave a man could receive. Here, let me take you to one of them; which do you prefer more?"

Boq began to slink against the wall the hooded man had cornered him against. Boq began to panic; there was something very odd about this person. "Uh, that's ok, I'm actually in…uh…a hurry, I have an appointment with the owner of that shop across the street."

As the hooded man turned around, Boq slipped away, and bolted into the nearest store before the man could notice his absence. As he rounded a sharp corner, though, he ran into a small woman and both fell to the floor. He began to collect the plethora of weird and exotic things the woman had dropped as he stammered, "I'm so sorry miss, I wasn't paying attention."

He continued to pick up her items when he heard her question, "F-Fiyero?"

He immediately jerked his head up, and he smiled like he had never smiled in a very long time.

Hours came and hours went as Elphaba sat reading the Grimmerie while waiting for the doctors to give her the news. All of a sudden, she heard the front door open and slam. She walked casually into the front hall and discovered it was Fiyero, but he had gone under another metamorphosis.

Boq's once limp and dry hair had been conditioned and tamed, even with a smooth curl in the front. He had also gotten 3 blue stripes under each eye, and more stripes down the rest of his body. He also had bought a completely new wardrobe; this one was very similar to Fiyero's old clothes, very flashy and bright. Right now he was wearing a white vest over a black shirt with flames on the end, and matching trousers. "Wow," she said with giggle. "Fiyero, you seriously need teach Boq to dress the way you do."

He smiled at her as two more people walked through the front door. Fiyero and Elphaba looked up to see it was Boq, but someone else was with him. He was standing in front of the other person, so they couldn't tell who it was. "Elphie," he said. "**Boq** (Fiyero gave him a confused look). I think you both should remember who this is." He stepped aside to reveal a small woman who shyly said, "It's good to see me, isn't it!"; It was Glinda.


	7. Chapter 7: Lies

"GLINDA?!" shouted Fiyero and Elphaba. Tears flooded into Elphaba's eyes as she embraced her long lost friend. The two girls hugged and sobbed as Fiyero looked on, dumbstruck by what he was seeing. Boq looked over with a smug look on his face, enjoying seeing Fiyero so stupefied, but quickly did a double take when he noticed what Fiyero had done to his body.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" he shouted, sizing up the enormity of the situation, but Fiyero hadn't even noticed he was being patronized. As Boq yelled and fumed about how he had no right to violate his body in that way, all he could do was stare with a stupid look on his face at Glinda. He simply couldn't believe Glinda, his former fiancé, was here in a foreign world. True, he showed no true affection for her anymore now that he had Elphie, but it was truly wonderful seeing her again.

As the girls stopped hugging, Fiyero stepped up to her, grabbed her hand and gallantly kissed it, as he always used to do, being the perfect gentleman that he was. To his horror, though, she quickly withdrew her hand, with a disgusted little look on her face. "Oh, hello Boq," she said faintly as she wiped her hand on the side of her dress. "I see someone still has that cute little crush he had on me that he did college." _Why does she think I'm Boq_, Fiyero thought to himself. _Did Boq not tell her that we aren't whom we appear?_

"Uh, Glinda, I think you are a little confused; I am F-", but he was interrupted as Boq shoved him out of the way.

"Weird little Munchkin," said Boq as Fiyero gave him a dirty look. "Doesn't know what the heck he is talking about half the time". Boq gave a little laugh and then glared at Fiyero, and with his eyes, told him to shut up immediately.

"I guess I owe you a very extensive explanation," started Elphaba, but Glinda shook her head.

"Oh no, Fiyero already gave me a very extensive explanation, you need not worry. As things in Oz got worse and worse, you and Fiyero here planned a huge fiasco to upset the ministry; Fiyero would appear to dump me, the power head of society to worry the ministry. He then pretended to be in love with you, and you didn't tell me because you wanted to make sure it looked as real as possible. While Fiyero distracted the Wizard and Morrible, you trapped that little girl to get the Ozians very upset with her, in order to force the Wizard and Morrible to do something so horrible that it would turn me against them, and take control of Oz. I can say, it was executed perfectly, and you both just planned your deaths do you wouldn't be hurt in Oz! Now that I know you are all alive, though, I can easily tell everyone in Oz the truth, and Fiyero and I can live happily ever after"! With that, she grabbed Boq's hand and planted a huge kiss on his cheek, making him appear that he would surely pass out.

Elphaba and Fiyero couldn't say a word; the fact that Boq had made up a lie that big on the spot was incredible, but appalling. He never told her that Fiyero no longer loved her, that none of that was a plan, that Fiyero and Boq had been the Scarecrow and Tin Man, or that the man she thought was he lover was a twerpy little Munchkin. How in the world would he explain this to her when Fiyero and Boq were back to normal?


	8. Chapter 8: The Bet

.Oddly enough, the rest of the day went pretty normally; Glinda and Elphaba got reacquainted for a while, with Glinda occasionally swooning over Boq. It turned out that there had been some recent problems in Oz regaining control after the Wizard left; the Vinkus was having problems with anarchy due to the fact that they had no ruler now and the people of Emerald City were all suffering from the shame associated with being so tricked by the Wizard. However, by far the worst problem was that another person from this world, like Dorothy, one day dropped into Oz. This person wasn't like Dorothy, oh no; it was a young man this time, with large yellow eyes and wild, brown hair.

At the rise of a full moon, he would turn into a horrible creature, that when it bit other Ozians, they became monsters too. Glinda had been sent here by her advisors, for they said this land was known for various magic rituals and such that could heal this ailment that now 1/10 of all Ozians had. In fact, she was in a strange shop buying a product called "Wolfsbane" when she ran into Boq.

When Glinda began to brag about how she finally was learning to decipher the Grimmerie, she noticed that Elphaba was holding the Grimmerie. "Hold on," she said inquisitively. "Elphie, how do you have a Grimmerie? You gave yours to me when you faked your death, didn't you?"

"Well, I saw you coming through my crystal ball, and quickly used a spell to make a copy. Don't worry, yours is exactly like mine, no difference."

The girls giggled and Elphaba suggested they go out on the town alone, which Glinda happily obliged. When the girls left, Fiyero cornered Boq the first chance he got.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"What do you mean? She thinks I'm you and you're me, what's the problem?"

"You know, THIS is what that plant, Audrey II, was talking about. Here you go out on this queer impulse and manipulate this girl by telling her you're a girl who she loved deeply. What are you gonna tell her once we're back to our normal selves."

"Well…well I'll tell her by then, and she'll get the chance to love me for me, not for my looks before I tell her. Just give me a little time, and she'll be mine."

"Boq, I'm trying to put you down, but back in school, she wouldn't even give you a chance; let me get this through your thick head – SHE'S SHALLOW. I'll make you a deal, if you tell her that you are really who you are tonight, and she accepts you the way you are, I'll…do something REALLY stupid or weird, you pick"

"FINE! I'll tell her tonight after dinner, and if she accepts for who I am, once Frederick finishes the new machine, you have to remain me for 5 more days."

"…hehe"

"What's so funny?"

"Well first of all, you are never gonna win, and second, you just gave yourself a HUGE insult HAHAHAHAHA!!"

"You just wait, I'll have the last laugh."

While Boq and Fiyero were setting their bet, Glinda and Elphaba were having a great day out on the town. _"Hey Elphie, can I ask you a question_?" Glinda said hesitantly.

"_Sure."_

"_Well, you know that big monster that Dr. Frederick has locked up in a cage, the one that's down in his lab (I took the pleasure of exploring the castle)?"_

"_Uh huh."_

"_Well he's green, and you're green"_

"_Right?"_

"_You're both green."_

"_Yeah."_

"_Are you two related?"_

"_WHAT?! Glinda, I'm surprised at you, I find that racist!"_

"_Oh! Well, I'm sorry but I was just asking."_

"_Well it's a TOUCHY subject; NO, not all green people are related! What are you trying to say, huh? That we all look the same to you, huh? HUH? HUH?"_

"_NO! Not at all…well, I'm sorry, I guess that was a little racist."_

"_I should say so. You should be much more careful when you're talking about the sensitive subject of race."_

"_Well, look who's talking!"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_What about that special club for those of Vinkus decent you made in school?"_

"_What about it?"_

"_Weeeell, could someone like ME be in it?"_

"_No, we wouldn't like someone like yo-"_

"_Hahaha! You see! You're a little bit racist!"_

"_Well…you're a little bit too!"_

"_I guess we're both a little bit racist"_

"_Admitting it is not an easy thing to do"_

"_But I guess its true"_

"_Between me and you, I think everyone's a little bit racist sometimes."_

"_But that doesn't mean we go around committing hate crimes. Look around and you will find, no one's really color blind, maybe it's a fact we all should face…"_

"_Everyone makes judgments based on race!"_

The girls began laughing hysterically as they continued to walk down the rural, Transylvanian road.


	9. Chapter 9: The Truth

.Elphaba and Glinda came back to the castle later, just in time for dinner. Glinda was looking a little hurt and Elphaba was looking a little ashamed. When Fiyero inquired about her wellbeing, she said that Glinda, after having such a great day, finally asked her about the mask. Elphaba told her that is was an accident, but Glinda would not believe her and kept pestering about it, until Elphaba, enraged, ripped it off, revealing the hideous scar. They had made amends on the trek home, but both were a little hurt from the whole ordeal.

As they were eating, Frederick leaned over to Boq and began whispering in his ear.

"I heard about your lie, Fiyero told me."

Boq sighed. "What about it, are you gonna patronize me too?"

"No, I have no place telling you how to live your life, but I do want to tell you I am almost done with your machine, it will be ready by the end of tonight."

_Tonight? _Boq remorsed over what he had just heard. _By the end of tonight, I will be back to my quirky Munchkin self? By the end of tonight, I will have to make Glinda fall in love with me?!_

"Are…are you sure its almost ready?"

"Yes, sorry, I would have finished sooner, but this morning a lot of the cords had been ripped apart! I asked Henry what happened, but he has no clue. Don't worry, this procedure a lot less painful then the last."

Boq sat in a stony silence through the rest of dinner. As he made his way to his bedroom, someone whistled at him. He turned around and saw Glinda staring at him in the middle of the hallway.

"Where'ya going, hun?"

"Uh, to my room, I…I need to think some stuff over."

He turned on a dime and walked swiftly towards his room, but as he started to turn the handle of the door, a pale hand grasped his arm. Her touch was so soft and kind, he couldn't help but give her a sweet smile in return.

"Would you like to think it over…with me," she asked shyly. It was weird that the girl who used to have nothing ever to do with him was now craving his attention. The truth had to come out now…

"Uh…sure," he said with a tone of defeat.

They walked into his room and sat on his bed. He grabbed both of her hands and looked straight into her crystal blue eyes. "Glinda," he started with a hesitant tone in his voice. "I have, something I have to tell you…"

"I have to tell you something first," she said with a cute blush on her face; he didn't want to interrupt her. "I, I…Fiyero, I have grown so much since you left. One of the last things you said to me was that I didn't really love you, just more so the idea of loving you, the perfect couple. I learned, after I presumed you dead, that…that you were very much wrong. I have never been more miserable in my whole life, losing you and Elphie in one day. Fiyero…I love you!"

With that, she leaned in and began to kiss Boq. He couldn't help it, he leaned in and continued to kiss her back. "Oh, Miss Galinda…" he muttered as he held her in his arms, but suddenly she went rigid.

"What did you just call me?" she said as she pushed Boq off of her, glaring at him inquisitively.

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! I was the only one who EVER called her "Miss" Galinda! _

"Uh, I don't know, what did I call you?"

"You called me "Miss" Galinda. You've never called me that before, in fact, I only know of one person who ever called me that, and that's Boq."

"Oh really, well he's such a nice and cool guy, I've been hanging around with him so much recently and it must have caught on. Glinda, did you know that he would do anything to make you happy?"

"Yes and quite frankly I don't care, I just said I love you Fiyero. I mean, sure you're no gallant white in shining armor, but you're mine, and it will always be that way."

As she leaned in to kiss him again, he put his fingers to her lips and sighed. "Glinda I have to come clean. I'm not who you think I am, and I am not the man you love."

"What are you talking about Fiyero," she said with a sudden tone of fright.

"That's just it, I'm not Fiyero…"

There was a long pause, but then Glinda burst out laughing. Between giggles she managed to ask, "Well then who are you, hahahaha?! HAHAHAHAHA!!"

"Well, I'm…Boq". Her laughter died away.

"What would make you say that Fiyero?"

"Please, stop calling me that, I'm not Fiyero!"

"Well fine then, BOQ, prove it? Prove this isn't some foolish little prank." She was becoming irritated.

Boq sighed, "Remember, on the first day at Shiz, you were mad at Morrible for not accepting you into her lecture series, and it was my idea that you object, and Madame Morrible thought you were volunteering to be Elphaba's roommate?"

Glinda went silent, Boq did too. She stared at him for the longest time at him with a blank stare on her face. _Fiyero wasn't even at the school when that happened,_ she thought to herself. _I mean sure, Boq could have told him, but that's an odd discussion topic. He __had__ called her Miss Galinda._

"B-Boq?" she finally managed to stutter. "Is-is that really you, I mean, how could this be? What happened? Tell me the truth." The angry tone was back in her voice.

Boq sighed and began to weave his tale; he told her how he had been enslaved by Nessa, how he was turned into Tin, how Fiyero was the Scarecrow, how he found the note and followed them to Skid Row, how they were looking for the cure, how Audrey II attacked and scarred Elphaba and killed Seymour, and how the respective gases in Frederick's chambers had been switched, turning Boq into Fiyero and visa versa.

For a while she just stared at him with a look of disgust. He could feel his cheeks reddening. All of a sudden, she started screaming at him.

"HOW IN THE WORLD COULD YOU LIE TO ME LIKE THAT! I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY EX-FIANCE! YOU LET ME MAKE OUT WITH YOU WITHOUT A SECOND THO- OH GOD!" She began furiously wiping her mouth off with her sleeve. "Oh GOD! Glinda, of the Upper Uplands just made out with a Munchkin, UHH!"

Boq's heart was breaking in two; Fiyero had been right.

"AND ANOTHER THING, YOU MADE EVERYONE ELSE LIE JUST TO GO ALONG WITH YOUR STORY! ELPHIE GOT HURT BECAUSE OF YOU! BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T THERE TO SAVE HER! SHE'S SCARRED FOR LIFE! YO-YOU WERE THE ONE WHO LEAD THE WITCH HUNT AGAINST HER! IF YOU HADN'T BEEN HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE, FIYERO WOULD HAVE HIS BODY BACK. I-I HATE YOU!!"

Before Boq could say anything or apologize, she ran out the door in tears, leaving him, once again, alone.


	10. Chapter 10: Angel

. Glinda ran down the stares in tears, passing Elphaba on the way, who tried to stop her. She grabbed her cloak and ran out the door before Elphaba could do anything, running down the hill in the pitch black darkness, and into the alleys of Transylvania. She slumped against a dumpster and began to sob uncontrollably. As she cried, suddenly, a sensation came over her; it was powerful and suppressing. She looked around the dark alley, but all she saw was garbage and an abandoned, old , full-length mirror. She approached the mirror and gazed at her reflection, only to have an even stronger sensation whirl around her. The candle that lined the windowsills of the surrounding stores blew out, leaving Glinda in complete blackness.

All of a sudden, a deep and powerful voice began to sing to her; its perfect resonation was unfathomable and by far the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. It engulfed her, dragging her further down into a state of utter hypnosis as she heard the bodiless voice coo, "_Insolent boy, this slave of pretense, basking in your glory_!" It almost seemed as if the voice new what had happened between Boq and Glinda, drawing Glinda in with it's mysteriousness and power. "_Ignorant fool,_" the voice continued, "_This brave young suitor, sharing in your triumph!_"

Before Glinda had time to think straight, she sang back to the voice, completely under its control. Who was this? A person? A hallucination? An Angel? "_Angel I hear you speak, I listen, stay by my side, guide me. Angel my soul was weak, forgive me, enter at last, master_!"

"_Flattering child, you shall know me. See why in shadow I hide. Look at your face in the mirror, I AM THERE INSIDE_!"

Glinda's mouth fell open as mist began to roll in, and as it did, a white half mask illuminated right next to her reflection. The light, from wherever it was, continued to grow in radiance, revealing not only a white mask, but a tall, broad-shouldered man, dressed completely in black except for a single red plume protruding from his hat. As if it were some sort of hallucination, the figure began to extend its hand, through the glass, which was no longer there, and reached out to Glinda. She grabbed his hand, and followed into the mysterious void.

Boq still sat on Fiyero's bed long after Glinda left. Elphaba and Fiyero had come in numerous times to cheer him up, but he just kept kicking them out. _How could I lie to her like that? How could I be so…heartless. Now I will never see her again, and she hates me._ He was sitting on the bed still when Dr. Jekyll walked in.

Boq had been a little frightened of the doctor, after what happened when he was in the transformation chamber, and he had always suspected that it was him who switched the potions. "Boq," he said in a sweet, caring voice. "I heard what happened, and I came to tell you, that you are by no means alone on this subject. Currently, I am torn in two; on side calls to a young woman named Elizabeth, my fiancé, and another named Lucy. I have not admitted my secret, so I definitely relate to your situation. You were simply lured in, like every other man on earth, to do whatever it took to win her affection. I was lured to do something utterly crazy, and it has been a horrible regret of mine. That's what they do, pretty women. _Pretty women: fascinating. Sipping coffee, dancing. Pretty women, are a wonder. Pretty women…pretty women. Sitting at the window or standing on the stair, something in them cheers the air!_"

"_Pretty women…silhouetted…stay within you," _Boq returned._" Glancing, stay forever, breathing lightly. Pretty women, pretty women…blowing out their candles or combing out their hair. Even when they leave, they still are there! They're THERE! Oh pretty women,_"

"_At their mirrors,_"

"_In their gardens_,"

"_Letter-writing_,"

"_Flower picking_,"

"_Weather watching_,"

"_How they make a man SING! Proof of heaven as you living, pretty women…pretty women…_"


	11. Chapter 11: Confidence

. Glinda had been gone for three days now and Boq was beginning to accept his lonely fate. He had finally come out of his room and went directly to Frederick. "You said the machine was ready," he said strongly and with poise. "All I want is to be myself again; I'm tired of lying to other people, and myself. I am ready."

The new machine was a little more obscure looking than the last; Frederick had said it had been created off another design he was working on, and it still looked pretty rough. It was composed of two steel tables that Boq and Fiyero were strapped to. In between the tables was a huge electrical fixture with two tentacles, each attaching to either Boq or Fiyero's forehead.

Boq had gone into the procedure completely sure of himself, but now that he was laying on a cold, steel bench with a hose connected to his a small incision on his forehead that gave off regular electric discharge, he wasn't so confident. "Uh, Frederick," he questioned. "Are…are you sure this will work, I mean, are you confident?"

"Ha!" he said as he drew some blood from Boq and Fiyero's arm. "It would seem, my friend, that you are the only one who lacks the confidence needed. Alright, let me just put these blood samples away and we'll get started!"

_Oh, I must stop these doubts, all these worries. If I don't I just know I'll turn back. I must dream of the things I am seeking. I am seeking the courage I lack…_

Boq shut his eyes as Igor flipped the huge switch. Blue sparks illuminated the room and pink fluid ran down each tube into each man's head. This procedure did not hurt at all, in fact, Boq began to feel the sensation of euphoria and weightlessness as the pink gel flowed into his head. Once the pink fluid ceased to flow into their heads, purple fluid began to flow from Boq's head down the tube, and orange fluid flowed from Fiyero's. As the fluids reached the machine, the machine whizzed as it switched the tubes, allowing the purple fluid to flow down into Fiyero's head, and purple into Boq's. The procedure lasted for only 10 minutes, and after the fluid finished draining, Boq slowly opened his eyes.

Still strapped down to the table, he couldn't see what he looked like, but as he shook in a struggle to get free, a piece of brown hair fell in front of his face. _Yes!!_

Frederick came over to Boq and began to unlatch his constraints, looking at him with looks of high hopes. Once he was released, he sat up, finding himself back to normal once again. He hugged his knees to his chest and started to let free tears of joy. He looked up at everyone in the room, who by now discovered he was back to normal. Boq looked over at Fiyero, who looked just as happy. Elphaba, once finding out the experiment was a success, ran over to Fiyero and began kissing him passionately, causing a small pang in Boq's heart; _Glinda…_

It seemed that the nightmare was finally over, that everyone would return to normal, but Boq would still be in his nightmare as long as Glinda was missing. Elphaba and Fiyero spent most of the next few days "alone" together, leaving Boq to spend time with either the doctors and their assistants, or himself; he preferred the latter.

He spent most of his time wandering around the town, searching and searching for Glinda, but to no avail once more. One day, as Boq returned to the castle, a frantic looking Elphaba ran up to him, waving a piece of paper in her hand. "Boq! Boq! Glinda's been captured!!"


	12. Chapter 12: Raoul

.He gave him the piece of paper she had been waving, and it gave him a shudder. It was a manila colored envelope, with a red seal in the shape of a skull. He flipped it over, and shockingly discovered it was addressed it him. He shot Elphaba a hard glance for reading his personal mail, and she muttered "It looked suspicious! I had to know what was inside. Someone slid it under the main door a few hours ago."

He pulled out the piece of paper inside, the print on it written in a neat, red font. It read:

_Dear Monsieur _(was he French?)_,_

_I am surprised you of all people would not have discovered by now that your beloved Glinda is not away still on her own free will. I currently have her under my personal possession, and if you, or anyone else wishes to see her ever again, go at once to the Opera Populaire in Paris, France. You better hurry Monsieur, you mustn't keep your lady waiting._

_Yours truly,_

_OG_

Boq just stared that that letter for a while. _Who is this world knows who we are, and why would they take Glinda? Who would do this, and for what possible reason? Who is this OG?_

Boq looked up. "Pack your things up Elphaba, and tell Fiyero to do the same; we're going to France."

They were ready within a few hours and ordered a cab. After they bid their farewells to Frederick and his crew, Frederick brought Boq over to the side and began to whisper to him, "Boq, I have something for you."

"For me? What is it?"

Frederick looked around to make sure no one was watching, and after confirming they were truly ignored, he put his hand in his pocket and retrieved two syringes, one filled with orange fluid, the other with purple.

"The reason I took a blood sample before the surgery was for my own purposes. I thought to myself, would there be any use in a person possessing skin and bodies of straw and tin. Well, you cannot get hurt or feel pain, so I began work on developing some sort of advanced armor of sorts, in which a soldier would inject this solution, which contains only reanimated tin and straw cells of you and Fiyero, which would attach to their own cells, making them tin men and scarecrows as well. My main goal was to make the effect temporary, but I could never figure it out."

Boq felt a little violated, but forgot his contempt with the professor when he thought Frederick was just trying to protect people. "Why are you telling me this professor?"

Frederick sighed. "I have heard horrible rumors about a bloodthirsty "ghost" that dwells in the Paris opera house. About 10 years ago, an incident happened with this little soprano, and there was this fire, and I don't really know the whole story, but they never found this guy. It is said he still lurks in the rebuilt opera house. While these "hauntings" occurred, there was a grand total of 17 "accidental deaths". I'm not saying he still lives there, or that you are in any danger, but it is a little suspicious that this little soprano he captured 10 years ago looks a lot like Glinda."

"I still do not get what you are trying to tell me, doctor."

"What I am trying to say is that if there ever comes the time, when you or Fiyero, or anyone's life is in danger, or they are on the brink of death, an injection of either solution, will save them immediately. But…"

"But what?"

"But if one would take the solution, _I_ will not be able to turn them back. Unlike your original condition, where your living cells were put in a dormant state, and your tin cells were animated, this new condition causes the tin cells to attach onto the living ones, merging the DNA patterns together; this procedure is utterly permanent."

Boq stared solemnly at the vials; _permanent?_ He took the vials from the professors hand, thanking him, but had absolutely no intention of using them; why in the world would he give up being human for being made of tin, even if he was dying.

They all got into the cab, waving goodbye to the people who had treated so kindly, and as the overweight cabby yelled, "To FRANCE!" and just as the horses began to trot off, and man ran in front of the carriage, causing the horses to rear up on their back legs, tilting the carriage backward.

The out of breath man walked over to the side of the carriage and stammered to Boq, "I-I-I am so sorry, Monsieur! Did you say this cab is going to France? I was walking down the lane and I thought I heard your cabby say that, is it true?"

"Why, yes it is. Are you going to France as well?"

The man smiled with relief. "Yes I am, and every cabby I have tried to hire refuses to take me there because of the distance. May I share with you all?"

Boq glanced around his group, whom all nodded, and Boq said to the panicking man, "Welcome aboard! What is your name sir?"

The man smiled again and hoisted himself into the cab. He was a very attractive man, with medium-length blonde hair that laid perfectly on his head. Boq noticed a bit of jealousy in Fiyero's eyes when Elphaba blushed as the man kissed her hand. The man sat down and smiled at all of them again.

"My name is Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny."


End file.
